THE EFFECTS OF SUBJECT SUSCEPTIBILITY AND A MAINTENANCE PROCEDURE IN THE TREATMENT OF CIGARETTE HABITUATION EMPLOYING POSITIVE AND AVERSIVE HYPNOTIC SUGGESTION
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of positive and aversive suggestions, measured hypnotic susceptibility, and the use of booster session on smoking cessation when combined with a hypnotic treatment procedure. Two hundred and four smokers who responded to a newspaper advertisement, flyer, or radio announcement offering a free "Stop Smoking Clinic" using hypnosis were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions. The three treatment conditions were positive hypnotic suggestion, aversive hypnotic suggestion, and attention-placebo condition. Subjects were divided into groups of high or low hypnotic susceptibility as determined by scores on the Harvard Scale of Group Susceptibility and were assigned to either a booster or no-booster condition. All subjects attended four group hypnosis sessions during a two-week period. Half the subjects received a booster session one month after completion of the fourth session. All hypnosis sessions were automated on cassette tape. All subjects received the same hypnotic inductions, deepening procedures, ego-strengthening suggestions and training in self-hypnosis. The only difference in the treatment conditions were specific suggestions regarding smoking cessation. The dependent measure was the subject's smoking status at a two-month follow-up period. Treatment success was defined as total abstinence from smoking at the time each subject completed the two-month follow-up questionnaire. Complete data were available for 170 subjects. Analysis of the data revealed no significant differences between treatment groups on the dependent measure at the two-month follow-up. Results indicated that neither aversive suggestion nor positive suggestion produced abstinence rates significantly different from the attention-placebo condition. Furthermore, no significant effects were found regarding the treatment variables of high or low hypnotic susceptibility and booster or no booster sessions. Results are discussed in relation to the previous literature and recommendations for future research are made.
This paper has been withdrawn.